Rajasthan gears up for season of fairs and festivals

Jaipur: It's that time of the year again and Rajasthan is gearing up for a series of annual fairs and festivals that draw a large number of visitors from across the state as well as the country and abroad.

From last week of this month till the year end, Rajasthan will play host to a series of social, religious, and cultural festivals, including the world-renowned Pushkar Fair in Ajmer.

According to Director of Rajasthan Tourism Vikram Singh, a large number of tourists - both domestic and international - attend the fairs which are held in the tourism season after a hiatus of two-and-a-half summer months. The department organises the fairs, along with local bodies.

At the end of this month, the traditional Teej Festival will kick off with a royal procession meandering through the old walled city. The procession which starts from the City Palace engulfs the entire town with a festive air.

While Kota's Dussehra (October 1-3) is well known for its festivities, the Jaipur Vijay Dashmi Mahotsav (October 3-4) will celebrate the victory of good over evil with verve and vigour, Singh said.

In the past few years, the Abhaneri Festival held between September 26 and 28 has been drawing a large number of people. The township in Dausa district stands out for 'Harshat Mata Temple' and 'Chand Baori'. More and more tourists are coming to this place every year, he claimed.

The Marwar Festival (October 7–8) will highlight the region of Jodhpur and will be celebrated at the Sun City. The Matsya Festival, to be held at Alwar from November 25 to 26, attracts a large number of tourists from Delhi as well as foreign countries, the Director of Tourism said.

Of all the fairs and festivals held in the desert state, Pushkar Fair (October 31-November 6) is most popular. Apart from being an important pilgrimage centre, it is the venue of mammoth cattle fair.

Other major events are Chandrabhaga Fair (November 5-7), the festival at Dholpur (November 7-8) and Bundi Utsav (November 9-11). "We are further streamlining organisation of such festivals to make them even more alluring for tourists," Singh added.